WASHNGTON, June 23, 1948 – President and Mrs.
Truman and their daughter, Margaret, attended the funeral today of Robert
B. Stewart, 27-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Earle Stewart, who was killed
in the crash of a United Airline plane that took the lives of 43 persons
last week in Pennsylvania.

The Stewarts are old friends of the Truman
family and also of John W. Snyder, Secretary of the Treasury, who was among
the pallbearers. The funeral service was held in the chapel at Fort
Myer, Virginia, and the burial of the ashes was in Arlington National Cemetery.
The youth has been a Lieutenant in the Navy during the war.

The plane was a Douglas DC-6 which was on
a scheduled flight from Chicago to New York City with 39 passengers and
a crew of 4. It crashed at Mr. Carmel, Pennsyvlania, at 12:41 P.M.
on June 17, 1948.

The plane crashed after an in-flight fire in
the cargo hold. The crew discharged carbon dioxide extinguishers into the
cargo hold in response to the fire warning. When the plane's nose was lowered
for an emergency descent, the carbon dioxide, being heavier than air, accumulated
in the cockpit and asphyxiated the crew. The aircraft crashed through high
voltage lines and exploded on a hillside. After the crashes of 10/24/47
and 11/11/47, were a design flaw allowed vented fuel to enter the intake
for the cabin heating system, the CAA also ordered carbon dioxide extinguishers
installed. Earl Carroll, U.S. theatrical impresario killed. Douglas aircraft
company knew of the carbon dioxide danger after two of its test pilots
were almost overcome during test flights. They suppressed reports to the
CAA which resulted in only a warning being added to the flight manual.
The aircraft was named Mainliner Utah.